


Off the Radar

by winehabit



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, F/M, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Worried Bucky Barnes, he's so cute i want to die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-27
Updated: 2016-01-27
Packaged: 2018-05-16 15:13:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5830384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winehabit/pseuds/winehabit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You disappear on a mission and return in pretty bad shape to a worried and confused Bucky.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Off the Radar

   To quote the great Clint Barton, " _okay . . . this looks bad_ ". Climbing through your own bedroom window at half past two in the morning wasn't your smartest idea yet considering your room was located on the twenty-seventh floor of stark tower. But hey, a little late night repelling never killed anyone ~~(okay that's probably a lie but whatever)~~. The only reason you hadn't gone in through the door like a normal person was so that you could avoid running the risk of waking the sleeping time-bomb that was without a doubt sprawled out on the couch.

   Ever since you and Steve brought Bucky back to the tower after the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., he'd begun coming into your room at all hours of the night when the demons that still plagued him got too loud for him to bear. Some nights the two of you would sit up for hours talking him through the horrors he'd seen and other nights you were both content laying in silence before falling asleep to the sound of the other's heartbeat. Before long, he'd taken to sleeping on the small couch in your living room so he wouldn't have to go far to get to you if he needed to.

   In reality, you didn't mean to fall off the radar for four days unannounced but Fury needed you and orders were orders. All you wanted to do was buy yourself a few more hours to patch yourself up and get your typical hour or two of sleep. You dropped into your room, finding reassurance in the fact that the room was pitch black and silent. Closing the window proved to be harder than usual seeing as you were almost positive your left shoulder was separated. Along with that you were reminded of the blood that had soaked through your suit from where a bullet had grazed your hip before you could dodge. It wasn't too bad but you knew it needed to be seen to pretty soon or there'd be an issue. You tried your hardest to stay quiet but you couldn't hold back the hiss of pain that slipped through your teeth as you stood straight, flinching when you were met with a familiar voice at your back.

"Where the _hell_ have you been?" You would have to be deaf to miss the rage in his voice and for a moment you were genuinely afraid before you realized who you were dealing with. You let out a sigh of defeat, keeping your back to him. "Well?"

"Singapore." You admitted shortly before a beat of silence settled over you.

"Really? That's all the information I'm going to get after I've been worried sick for _days_? Y/N answer me-" A cold hand griped your upper arm and turned you harshly to face him. All at once you were reminded just how bad of shape you were in as stars exploded behind your eyelids. The pained yelp that made its way out of your throat seemed to stop him in his tracks. "Jesus Y/N," it was almost a whisper as he took in the pained expression that you were almost positive he was already blaming himself for. You let yourself be gently led into the connecting bathroom that always seemed to double as a medic station when either of you would return from a mission battered or bloody. You thought of the hours upon hours that were spent stitching and bandaging and building each other back up as you sat yourself unsteadily on the edge of the tub and he kneeled in front of you.

"Nick said the mission wouldn't start until next week. Some big nuclear weapons manufacturer was going to be transported and I had to take him out." Your voice let on just how much this mission took out of you both emotionally and physically as he began dabbing at a cut above your eye with an alcohol soaked cloth. "Bucky, look at me." You pleaded but it was as if he hadn't heard you, he was too far in his own thoughts to register anything you were saying. "James." His eyes finally met yours and you rested a slightly shaky hand on his cheek. "I was going to tell you where I was going, I swear." His hand came up to cover yours and he turned to press a light kiss to your palm.

"I know you were sweetheart." His eyes were sympathetic as he finished cleaning above your eye and sat back on his heels. "Anywhere else?" You looked away and gave a short nod before attempting to shrug off your jacket, stopping seconds later to breathe deep when the pain became too much. "Hold on, hold on." His voice was soothing with an edge of concern as he fished through the kit, retrieving the surgical scissors. In a flash they sheared through the fabric of your jacket and shirt, leaving you in a simple black sports-bra. You'd seen each other in next to nothing before but as his eyes took in the shape you were in, you couldn't stop the goosebumps that rose on your skin. Looking down to assess the damage wasn’t your brightest choice because when you saw way more blood than you expected from your hip and the swelling in your shoulder you found your head spinning . James swore under his breath, steadying you with a firm but gentle hand on your waist. He moved you so that you were seated on the floor with your back up against the tub.

"B'then they got word he was being moved sooner'n they thought. Nick pulled me 'n the middle of the day, i wan'd to tell you what was happening but we had'ta move fast." Keeping your eyes clamped shut until the world stopped swaying, you were determined to explain yourself. You felt the cloth dabbing feather light at your side. "We showed up an' they must'a known we were coming. We got the target, but we almos' didn't get out." When you finally felt confident enough to open your eyes you saw the concentration and sadness painted clearly on his face as he worked to sterilize and thread a needle. "You're gonna have some wick'd wrinkles if you keep worrying like this." You joked, raising your good arm to ghost your fingers over the deep worry lines on his forehead.

"I always worry about you, Y/N." He mumbled so low you questioned whether you heard him correctly. "Okay here comes the easy part," He gestured to the needle "I'll make it as quick as I can, I promise." You nodded in response and he shot you his trademark sympathetic smile, leaning over to press a light kiss to your forehead before going to work. You kept your jaw firmly clenched to keep from crying out and after half a spool of thread and countless muttered apologies on Bucky's end, the line was cut and it was done. You took a steadying breath and heard him do the same. "And now the hard part, I'm gonna have to reset your shoulder, okay?" When you answered with another nod the focused expression was back as his bionic hand settled on your forearm with his right hand a few inches away from your shoulder. "On three," you closed your eyes and readied yourself for the pain. "Okay. . . one," you felt your arm jerk swiftly, heard a small pop and then your vision whited out. A sound like a wounded animal left your mouth but the sound seemed far away, you were focusing on not passing out. After what felt like years but in reality was probably only a few moments, the porcelain of the bathtub on the back of your neck brought you back to earth. Metal fingers were gently sweeping the hair that was plastered to your forehead by a sheen of sweat.

"That . . . was not three." You gave a weak glare in between pants and he breathed out a laugh.

"Sorry love, I didn't want you tensing up and making any complications for yourself." He still looked like a worried parent but you knew by morning things would almost be completely back to normal. "Now come on Y/N, let's get you to bed." Getting to his feet he offered his hand and pulled you to stand. The adrenaline from the events of the night had almost completely worn off, leaving your energy almost fully depleted. Allowing yourself to be lead, you dropped your aching body onto the worn-out mattress. You grinned to yourself when you felt the bed sink beside you and the covers brush your chin.

"Not feeling the couch tonight?" You joked with mock-seriousness.

''If you're not comfortable with it I could-" In a second he was tense and ready to leave but your arm shot out, momentarily forgetting about the bone-deep soreness that had settled over you to grab his forearm.

"No!" He was startled by the outburst but instantly relaxed. "Stay with me . . . please?" You mentally kicked yourself hearing the weak words slip past your lips. Instead of a mocking tone, you were met with a soft smile that seemed to relax your muscles completely and the feather-light feeling of his arm sliding around your waist, making sure to avoid the bandages.

"Of course I will." His voice was soft as he leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to your forehead. "Don't worry Y/N, I don’t plan on letting you out of my sight anytime soon." He grinned. The last thought before the exhaustion overwhelmed you was that maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.


End file.
